Looks like NY/NJ and L.A. will be the favorites to win the MLS cup. How close am I on that prediction? I want to see Eddie Johnson play more. The only Burn game I've ever gone too, he came in as a sub and looked so much bigger and faster than everyone else. Is he going to start this year?
Metros are overhyped IMO. I think 2004 we should expect to see them make thier mark...LA are the real deal and will be our toughest opponent. Your becoming a fan just in time to see Dallas REALLY contend for the Cup. I think EJ will be a big part of that, keep in mind he is part of the US U-20's, even now he's in Florida practicing with his other team. You made the right choice.
I really can't tell you what to expect due to the stadium issue. As far as the team, the Burn are solid not spectacular. They don't have any glaring weaknesses, but they also don't have a bonafide superstar. We do have one advantage the other teams dont and that is room for one more player. Whether this player signs now or later in the season is a move Coach Jeffries will have to make. Personally this team has good chemistry. Jeffries is a good eye for talent but sometimes his coaching decisions are questionable. I have high hopes for this team. They are deep with some very good younger players. I look forward to watching the following players progress this year, EJ, Davis and Gbandi.
Stylisticly speaking, we play the best football in the league. Now if we could just score some more goals we'll bring home the silverware this year. Oh, and if you're one of these Anglophile types, we don't do the kick and chase run around like a chicken with your head cut-off thing here......if you're looking for that brand of soccer, you'll be disappointed. That style might work here if the average temperature during the season, was oh, about 20-30 degrees cooler.
LA is going to be very busy playing in their CONCACAF Champion's Cup and then later in a World Club Championship(different from the FIFA version) in July in Korea. Hopefully that, combined with the Open Cup, will have them at less than their best.
I think you will see a team that plays with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder. They came within a game of leading the league 3 different times last year, and didn't get there. Then they were dumped from the playoffs by a team they beat more than they tied, on a last minute goal. They got robbed a few times, and had some injury issues hit them. Chad and Jason know that time in their legs is running short...it's MLS Cup now, or maybe never. They have a two deep roster most teams would kill for. Sure, no Graziani or Landon, but above average quality at every position. The biggest question is Countess. Jordan was good, but he was not Cannon, or Hartman, or Rimando. Jordan had the potential to give up goals at bad times, and soft goals at that. Going with a major youth player is a gamble. The Burn in their history have had two keepers, Dodd, and Jordan. Two, that's it, aside from an occasional Garth or Cassar game. Going to a kid that I don't think can drink legally yet is a major risk at goalkeeper. If he's golden boy in goal, the Burn are a lock for the playoffs, and can make a run at the cup with the modified format this year. If he's young, inexperienced, and he gives up goals, the Burn are in trouble. Being a Burn fan is never easy. So get set for a ride, part roller coaster, part whitewater adventure, part a bridge too far.